Scanning tone remote adapter for land-mobile radio dispatch for use with dispersed dispatch stations

• US 20030134633A1
• Filed: 01/03/2003
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Inventors: Reid, Jeffrey Turner
• Granted Patent: US 6,950,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A land mobile radio dispatch system is provided, which comprises a radio, one or more remote dispatch devices, and a scanning tone remote adapter connected to the radio and the remote dispatch devices, and is adapted to receive tonal signals from the remote dispatch devices. The dispatch system provides scanning of RF channels, control from remote locations, and parallel updating of multiple dispatch devices, including changing the channel or the base station and notifying other dispatch devices of the current channel-in-use. The tonal signals indicate either an action taken, or an action desired to be taken by the remote dispatch devices. The scanning tone remote adapter is further adapted to transmit received tonal signals to remote dispatch devices, which can indicate the status of the radio, or requested commands by other remote dispatch devices.

Claims

1. A land mobile radio dispatch system comprising:

a radio communication system connected to a scanning tone remote adapter;

one or more remote dispatch devices connected to the scanning tone remote adapter by a network, wherein, the scanning tone remote adapter is adapted to communicate with the one or more remote dispatch devices by transmitting a second set of radio communication system status signals as control tone sequences to the one or more radio dispatch devices and receiving a first set of radio communication system command signals as control tone sequences from the one or more radio dispatch devices and which are also shared with the other one or more remote dispatch devices, said scanning tone remote adapter being further adapted to communicate with the radio communication system by receiving a first set of radio communication system status signals from the radio communication system and transmitting a second set of radio communication system command signals to the radio communication system.

2. The land mobile radio dispatch system according top claim 1, further comprising a local control device connected to the scanning tone remote adapter, wherein the local control device is adapted to receive a second set of radio communication system status signals as control tone sequences, and to transmit a first set of radio communication system command signals as control tone sequences.

3. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 2, wherein the scanning tone remote adapter is adapted to communicate with the one or more remote dispatch devices and local control device the first set of radio communication system command signals received from the one or more remote dispatch devices or local control device.

4. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 3, wherein the first set of radio communication command signals are digitally encoded analog signals.

5. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 3, wherein the second set of radio communication status signals are digitally encoded analog signals.

6. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the radio communication system comprises:

a radio tower; and

a radio transceiver.

7. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a network connecting the one or more remote dispatch devices to each other, to one or more multiplexors, and to the scanning tone remote adapter.

8. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a single pair of wires.

9. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a leased telephone line.

10. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a LAN.

11. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a WAN.

12. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second set of radio communication system status signals each comprises a channel-selected radio communication system status signal.

13. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second set of radio communication system status signals each comprises a broadcast-status radio communication system status signal.

14. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second set of radio communication system status signals each comprises a signal-received radio communication system status signal.

15. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second set of radio communication system status signals each comprises a self-test radio communication system status signal.

16. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second set of radio communication system status signals each comprises a scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

17. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises a scan-up scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

18. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises a scan-down scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

19. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises an end-scan scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

20. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second set of radio communication system command signals each comprises a select-channel radio communication system command signal.

21. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second set of radio communication system command signals each comprises a broadcast radio communication system command signal.

22. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second set of radio communication system command signal each comprises a status-check radio communication system command signal.

23. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second set of radio communication system command signals each comprises a scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

24. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises a scan-up scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

25. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises a scan-down scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

26. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises an end-scan scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

27. A method for the operation of a land mobile radio dispatch system, comprising:

selecting a first channel to scan;

determining the presence of an RF carrier-present signal from a radio communication system; and

generating an RF carrier-present status signal and ceasing scanning activity for a predetermined amount of time if the RF carrier-present signal is present, or, determining a next action based on the absence or presence of tone sequences if no RF carrier-present signal is present.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting the RF carrier-present status signal as a tone sequence to one or more connected remote dispatch devices and a local control device; and

resuming scanning when the RF carrier-present signal from the radio communication system is no longer present.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of determining a next action based on the absence or presence of tone sequences if no RF carrier-present signal is present comprises:

determining the next action based on the absence or presence of tone sequences if no RF carrier present signal is present also includes determining the activity timer status; and

performing a requested command, if the tone sequences are present.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising:

beginning a time period; and

determining the time period if the tone sequences are absent.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

determining the presence of an RF carrier-present signal from a radio communication system if the time period has not exceeded a first duration; and

beginning a new time period, selecting the next channel, and determining whether the last channel has been scanned, if the time period has exceeded the first duration.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the step of determining whether the last channel in a channel scan list has been scanned comprises:

determining the presence of an RF carrier-present signal from a radio communication system if the last channel has not been scanned; and

beginning a new time period and selecting a first channel to scan if the last channel has been scanned.

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the available channels to scan are contained in a channel scan list.

34. The method according to claim 29, wherein the step of performing a requested command, if the tone sequences are present, comprises:

beginning a new time period and resuming scanning if the tone sequence present is a scan-resume tone sequence;

beginning a new time period and selecting a desired channel if the tone sequence present is a channel-select tone sequence;

beginning a new time period and activating a radio push-to-talk sequence on the channel indicated in the received tone signal after a loss-of-carrier signal has been detected from a remote dispatch device, if the tone sequence present is a push-to-talk tone sequence;

ceasing scanning if the tone sequence present is a scan-stop signal; and

determining whether the time period has exceeded a first duration regardless of which tone sequence is present.

35. The method according to claim 29, wherein the step of determining the time period is determined by an activity wait timer.